1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to a supplemental storage device for a stroller, and more specifically, a stroller storage device configured to be elastically expandable to stretch around the stroller frame to dispose the storage device in tension to tightly secure the storage device along the stroller frame.
2. Related Art
Strollers are well known in the art for transporting children. Children typically enjoy riding in strollers because they can look out of the stroller and view the surrounding environment. Transporting a child in a stroller also eases strain on parents because the parent is not required to carry the child, which may be difficult as the child grows older and bigger. Thus, strollers are widely used as an easy and effective means of carrying a child.
There are several types of strollers made available to parents. For instance, strollers may be specifically configured for running to allow a parent to jog with the child seated within the stroller. A “jogging type” stroller may include larger wheels, as well as a single front wheel for ease of pushing the same.
Another type of stroller includes a stroller that is part of a “travel system” which not only includes the stroller, but also includes a corresponding infant car seat. In a travel system, the stroller and infant car seat are configured to cooperatively engage with each other to allow the infant car seat to be transitioned between a base within the vehicle to the stroller without having to remove the infant from the car seat. Strollers which comprise a portion of the above-described travel system tend to be slightly more cumbersome than some of the other strollers that are available because the travel system strollers include additional structures to support or engage with the infant car seat.
An alternative to the travel system type strollers or jogging strollers are “umbrella” strollers, which include a foldable frame and a fabric seating panel extending between the foldable frame. The frame is configured to easily transition between a stowed position and a deployed position. The stroller may be placed in the stowed position for storage within a vehicle, or other storage compartment, and when the parent desires to use the stroller, it can easily be unfolded into the deployed position to defining a seating area for the child. Furthermore, the simplistic design of umbrella strollers results in a lightweight stroller, particularly relative to the travel system strollers and jogging strollers discussed above. Therefore, the configuration of the umbrella strollers provides several advantages related to ease of use.
Unfortunately, one drawback that is commonly associated with umbrella strollers is that their simplistic design provides very little, if any, storage space. For instance, a conventional umbrella stroller generally does not include a space for the parent to place a wallet, drink, keys, or other day-to-day items. Furthermore, a parent oftentimes will carry an extra diaper, change of clothes, wipes, or other essential items for caring for the child. Therefore, the lack of storage space on conventional umbrella strollers makes it difficult for parents to acconodate certain essential items.
Moreover, the particular configuration of umbrella strollers makes it difficult to connect a separate storage device to the stroller. For instance, the frame of the umbrella strollers generally includes a pair of parallel bars that extend downwardly from a pair of handles which the parent grasps when pushing the stroller. Given the downward angle of the bars, storage devices which are merely wrapped around the bars tend to slide down along the bars, especially when weighted items, such as keys, a cell phone, or soft drink are loaded within the storage device.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for a storage device which may be easily connectable to a stroller, particularly an umbrella stroller, wherein the device is configured to remain secured to the stroller without sliding along the frame of the stroller.